Alternatives
by Charles RocketBoy
Summary: Imagine a world were James was good... imagine a world were Brock turned evil...imagine...No more imagining. It's real... Chapters One and Two of my first Pokemon fanfic.
1. Default Chapter Title

****

INTRODUCTION

Pokemon. A world of colourful monsters, raised by trainers, and fighting for badges. A world of trainers facing the evil organisation Team Rocket. Sound familiar? If not, please watch the cartoon/play the game before reading anymore. This world is familiar to millions. But maybe it could have been different. Maybe the main trainers had acted differently. Maybe there is a world where this all happened. Maybe it can be reached…and conquered…

This is the world of Pokemon: Alternate.

__

This takes place before Ash entered the Pokemon League Regional Championships.

CHAPTER 1

_The other world, 5 years ago_

**It was a dark, stormy night. Thunder roared and the wind howled.**

Well, not really. It was actually quite a quiet night. There were only normal sounds; the sound of the Zubats, the sound of the gentle wind, the sound of crickets…

The sound of panicked running.

The boy ran as if hellhounds were after him. Behind him ran a small Growlithe, trying to keep up with him. Tears were streaking down the boy's cheeks. His purple hair blew in the wind. 

His name was James. And he was a tortured being.

_I'm not gonna turn back! I won't! I am through living with them! Trying to get me married to Jessebelle…I hate them! I hate her! Always following me, telling me what to do, trying to turn me into a " gentlemen ". What, aren't I good enough as I am?! Why should I just live as a carbon copy of my parents? I never wanna see them again. The only memories I'm taking are of the Pokemon Tech school, and Jessie…My only real friend, until Jeesebelle drove her away…_

**James screamed at the memory. The image of Jessie, being beaten up by Jessebelle's Oddish, of her terror, was burned in his mind. At this memory, all subconscious sorrows of leaving were destroyed. **

_I'll show them! I'll show them all! Me, Growlie and Koffing will make a name as Pokemon trainers, and then I'll find Jessie and marry her, and I'll watch as my parents wish they'd been nice to me, and I'll laugh at them!_

**And so he ran away into the night.**

_The other world, 1 month ago_

****

James walked down the road towards the Viridian Pokemon Centre. Growlie trotted beside him, barking at nearby Rattata's. In the 5 years since he'd left home, James had become a brilliant Pokemon trainer. In addition to Koffing and Growlie, he also had a Squirtle, Pidgeot and a Sandslash. He already had 6 badges and was planning to get an Earth Badge. He had early on decided not to " catch 'em all " and just to train the small group he had. He wore a torn old green T-shirt with matching jeans. He grinned to himself at the anger his parents would feel if they saw him now.

He was dimly aware of an Officer Jenny patrolling the streets, warning about Team Rocket activity. Team Rocket weren't that much of a threat and anyway, what were the chances of him seeing a Rocketeer? 

He entered the Pokemon Centre and sat down on the sofa. It was then he noticed the boy.

He was about 10, with spiky black hair. He wore a blue jacket, a green shirt, blue jeans and a red-and-white baseball cap. He was looking at the floor, crying. James walked over to him.

" Hey kid, are you OK? "

_Sniff._** " No. My Pikachu got injured in a fight with some Spearows, and they think he's in a critical condition. He's my first Pokemon a-and he might die, and I've only j-just s-tarted to get along with him… "**

The boy started wailing. 

" I should have known this would happen! Gary was right, I'm a loser! I can't even look after one Pokemon. I'm no good at this. I don't see why I don't just quit being a trainer… "

" Kid, " said James softly, " don't give up so easily. Your Pikachu will pull through! What's your name, anyway? "

" A-Ash Ketchum. "

" Now Ash, just because you make one mistake doesn't mean you should give up your dreams! You learn just as much from losing as from winning. Hell, when I first started, I was always losing! I couldn't even beat a flipping Magikarp! But I learnt more about my Pokemon and I eventually started to win. I've been training for 5 years now, so I know what I'm talking about! "

" You really think I can make it? "

" Sure! You seem to care a lot about your Pokemon and that is a key factor! I've known trainers that didn't give a crap about their Pokemon and they never got anywhere. You, Ash, could be a Master someday! "

" Are you a Master yet, mister? You have been training for 5 years. "

" Me? Nah. I still need 2 more badges. And the name's James. This here is Growlie.

" Growlithe! " cried Growlie.

" Hey cool! "

" You think he's good now, then you shoulda seen him win me the Rainbow Badge! "

" Cool! Hope Pikachu can do that when he gets better! Bet he could take on Team Rocket! "

" Hah! Doubt we'll ever see them! "

This, of course, was the precise moment that Team Rocket attacked. God has a very ironic sense of humour.

KABOOOOM! 

The entire ceiling was blown apart! A Geodude and an Ekans leapt through the hole, ready to fight. Growlie snarled in rage. And, visible through all the dust, were the attackers.

" Prepare for trouble!

And make it double!

To protect the world from devastation!

To unite all peoples within our nation!

To denounce the evils of truth and love! 

To extend our reach to the stars above!

Jessie!

Brock!

Team Rocket! Blast off at the speed of light!

Surrender now, or prepare to fight!

_MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEOWTH!_ That's right! "

James jerked round. He felt his insides freeze. 

_No, it can't be her! She wouldn't!_

** He took a closer look at the Rockets. He saw the boy, Brock, who had spiky hair and for some reason his eyes were shut. He saw a grinning Meowth, who was wearing an " I'm with Stupid " T-shirt. He saw a girl with blue eyes and a long plume of red hair…**

He felt sick. He wanted to scream. He wanted to run. Jessie, his Jessie, was trying to steal Pokemon. She had sold her soul.

" What do you want? " snarled Ash.

" We want your Pokemon, twerp! " yelled Jessie. " And the other guy's… "

She trailed off. She stared at James. She started to tremble. Then she pulled herself together.

" Ekans, go! "

" Ekanssssssss! "

" Squirtle, Growlie, go! " cried James.

" Squirtle! "

" Growlllll! "

The battle was joined. The combat raged. And, in its path, it destroyed a friendship. 

Chapter 2 

_The normal world, now_

****

Ash ran down the streets of Pallet Town towards Professor Oak's laboratory. Behind him walked Misty, Brock and Pikachu. They walked a long way behind, so as not to prompt Ash's bragging. Ever since he won his 8th badge he'd talked about nothing else. Except maybe the swearing he did at Team Rocket. 

Misty looked at her watch. " 4 minutes, 57 seconds, " she murmured. 

Ash turned round. " Hey, remember when I won that Earth Badge! Pikachu blew Team Rocket outta there! Like they could have beaten _me _**anyway! "**

" Gahhhh! " screamed Misty. " Damn it! There was only 1 second to go! "

" Alright! Pay up, Misty! " cried Brock triumphantly.

" Huh? " said Ash. " What the heck are you guys talking about? "

" Brock betted me £5 that you couldn't go 5 minutes without bragging about that stupid Earth Badge, " said Misty disgustedly. " You only had 1 more second to go and you blew it! "

" Hey! Are you guys saying I brag? "

" I'm not gonna dignify that with an answer. "

" Pika, " agreed Pikachu.

" Hey! Pikachu! Whose side are you on? "

Now peeved beyond belief, Ash stormed off in a furious rage. This meant he didn't look where he was going and therefore didn't see the huge obvious pit directly in front of him. After living with Team Rocket's constant attacks, you'd think he'd have wised up by now. And you'd be wrong.

" Whoaaaa! Where'd that hole come from?! "

" Hahahaha! You fell into our trap! " cried a voice.

" Aw, crap! Not them again! "

A flash bomb went off, blinding everyone in the area. Through the dust 3 shadowy figures were available.

" Hahaha! You should have watched out and prepared for trouble!

Watched your step for we've made it double! 

To protect the world from devastation!

To unite all peoples within our nation! "

Jessie and James stood triumphantly by the pit, reciting the motto.

" Oh, not you two again! " moaned Misty.

Jessie screamed and started to tear her hair out. " Ahhhh! Why do you twerps always interrupt us when we're doing the motto?! "

" We know what you're gonna say, it's never any different! " called Ash.

" Ah, but today it's very different, " sniggered James, " 'cause today we're winning. Now hand over your Charizard! "

" OK, " said Ash. " You can have it! It never listens to me anyway. "

" Will you take Pysduck too? " pleaded Misty.

Team Rocket looked at her oddly.

" Dream on! " jeered Jessie. " How dumb do you think we are? "

" How dumb they _think _**you are? They know how dumb you are! " laughed Meowth.**

__

WHAAAACK!! 

****

" Shut your Me-outh! " snarled Jessie.

Ash sighed. " Look, we all know what's gonna happen, so why don't we do it now? Pikachu, Thundershock! "

" Piiiiiiiiiiiiiii-chuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!! "

Pikachu unleashed a 1000-volt blast, fuelled by a weird sense of enjoyment. As they had many times before, Team Rocket saw this coming and began to swear really badly. Then they became unconscious and dreamt of swearing. 

Ash climbed out of the pit. " D'you think those guys will ever get the message and just get lost? "

" Them? Learn? " snorted Brock. " That implies they actually are capable of thinking. "

" Oh yeah, good point. "

Misty sighed. _Another day, another battle, _**she thought. **_All we ever seem to do is battle and save towns from Team Rocket or gang wars or drought. I feel like I'm in a dumb cartoon show! Every town we go to has a weird problem that only we can sort out and it is freaking BORING! Aren't there any normal places around here? It would be nice for once just to relax and look after Togepi. But nooo, we have to stop Team Rocket from stealing the rare Whatchacallit in Wherever Town! _

**For weeks now, she'd been feeling unhappy with the training life. More and more it seemed like she was burning out on the road and not spending time on what she really wanted. She became increasingly worried that Togepi was becoming neglected. And despite all they'd been through, despite their friendship, she would sometimes look at Ash and feel like he was reducing her to an accessory, a source of reinforcements during a battle.**

" OK! " cried Ash. " First we betta see Professor Oak about the Pokemon League. We still need to find out where it is. And then I need to catch some more Pokemon! I hear they have a Tangela around here and a- "

" Do we have to? " complained Misty.

Ash stared it her in surprise.

" What do ya mean by that? We do it all the time and you never have a problem then. "

" Yeah, but we've been doing that for a whole year now. Can't we just spend one day relaxing? Can't we just forget about training for a while? "

" Misty does have a point, Ash, " pointed out Brock. " You've been practising for a whole week and you do need a break. "

" We had a break! We went to the Seafoam Islands, didn't we? "

" And while there, we battled Team Rocket twice, got involved in evolving a Slowpoke and got involved with that surfer Victor, " argued Misty.

" Oh, Ok. We'll take a break. But I bet you as soon as we do, we'll get involved in something and save Pallet from destruction or whatever. It happens all the time! "

" I'll take that chance, " said Misty. " Anyway, you've wanted to try that new arcade for ages now. Well, now you can! "

Ash's eyes light up. " Oh yeah, didn't think of that! Well, what're we waiting for? Let's go! "

The team walked off towards relaxation. Misty, while feeding Togepi, made a silent prayer.

_Please, please, please let it be normal! I just want a normal day for once. Just once. That's all I'm asking. Surely THAT is not too much of a problem? Just a normal day…_

**Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be. **

The gang walked along the streets. It was night now and it seemed as though Misty's prayers had been answered. 

But the night is still young.

" Man, that was fun! " cried Ash ecstatically. " We ought to do it again. Right Pikachu? "

" Pika pi! " agreed Pikachu, beaming with joy. Then it tensed.

" Huh? Hey, buddy, what's the matter? " 

Pikachu just stood there, tense and alert. It started to growl angrily, the sort of growl made by a wolf when it knows it will be killed. 

Ash, worried, tried to pick Pikachu up. All that happened was that he got shocked.

" Yaaaaiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!! "

" Holy £$%^! " exclaimed Brock. " Pikachu is growing an electric shield! "

" What the hell?! "

" It's an invisible shield, created from stored energy, that a Pikachu creates when it's scared or threatened. "

" But there's nothing here! "

" Studies have shown that Pokemon tend to sense disasters like earthquakes or volcanoes a while before they happen. "

" Earthquake! But that only happens on tectonic plate boundaries! " argued Ash.

" What?! " cried Misty. " You mean you actually listened in school! "

" Oh ha ha. Bet you don't know what's going on either. "

" Actually, " mused Brock worriedly, " if he's sensing something dangerous that we can't, then we might want to hide before we find out the hard way what it is! "

" I like the way you think! "

Suddenly a huge streak of lightning tore open the sky! 

_KRA-KOOOOOOOM!_

" Yaaaah! Run for it! "

The whole sky was lit up by bursts of energy. Electricity streamed through the streets and engulfed the trio. 

" Crap! " screamed Ash. " There's no way out! "

" Chu! "

" Huh? What's that mean? "

Pikachu didn't answer in words. It answered in action. All the energy it had building up was released in one Thunder attack. Pikachu's eyes glowed bright red! 

" CHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU! "

Instantly the gang was engulfed in Pikachu's electric field, which was an identical charge to the weird lightning. And 2 identically charged objects will naturally repel each other…

One minute, Ash was staring at pure energy. 2 seconds later, he found himself being slammed into a wall! 

" Owww! "

" Don't complain Ash! " said Misty through gritted teeth. " Pikachu… just saved…our lives… "

" Yeah, but could he have found a less painful way to do it? "

" 'Tis better to be injured than to be dead ', " quoted Brock.

" Do you really believe that? "

" No. "

The energy tore apart the street. It streaked around buildings, causing them to crack and burn. The light hurt their eyes and caused plants to explode into flame. 

" God, that thing's gonna destroy the town! " screamed Ash.

" There's nothing we can do! " cried Brock. " We can hardly survive ourselves, let alone helping other people survive. "

" Pikachu! " snarled Pikachu. "

And then it stopped.

The energy, the destruction, the noise, all stopped. Electricity continued to crackle on the buildings, which had been burnt into solid ash. Ash tried not to think about the people inside those buildings. And in the middle of the street lay a small girl. 

" Oh God, that poor girl! " cried Misty. " She had been stuck in that storm! "

" Didn't see her before, " mused Ash. " Where'd she come from? "

" You know, I really don't care! Pikachu, hold Togepi for a 'sec. We've gotta help her! "

The three of them, minus Pikachu, ran into the burnt street. They saw the girl looking around confused. She had red hair and green eyes. In fact…

" Hey Misty! " cried Ash. " She looks like you! "

" No way! She's at least 3 years younger than me! And she's wearing a… "

She trailed off at the girl's T-shirt. It had a huge picture of James on it. The most remarkable thing about it was that he wasn't in his Team Rocket gear.

" What the-? Since when did Team Rocket license their own T-shirts? "

" Something's wrong here… " observed Brock.

" Oh, gee, ya think so?! " said Misty sarcastically. 

The girl's eyes opened. " Huh? W-where am I? "

" Hey, kid, " said Ash, " you OK? "

" I-I think so, " muttered the girl. " Who are you anyway? " 

" I'm Ash. Who are you? " 

" Misty Waterflower. "

Misty stared in horror. A cold chill went down her spine.

" No way… "

" What is it? "

" Th-that's MY name! "

" Ooooooooo eeeeeeeeee ooooooooo, " said Ash in a low voice. " Misty did not know it, but she had entered… the Toilet Zone… deedle deedle deedle deedle… "

_THWAAAACK!_

" Shut up! "

" Ow! That hurt! "

" Good. " 

Misty Waterflower just sat quietly. She did not understand any of this. All she knew was that she was in a strange place and in the company of weirdo's. 

It was then she noticed Brock.

" YOU! "

" Huh? " said Brock " Me? "

" S-stay away! " she cried. " Go away! I don't any Pokemon on me, so leave me alone! "

" Look, ' Misty ', I've never seen you before and why would I be angry if you had Pokemon? " 

" Y-you stole my Starmie, " sobbed the girl. " I don't have any others, so leave me alone! Go away! I hate you I hate you I hate you! "

She collapsed screaming and crying, while Brock looked on in bewilderment. 

" But I've never even seen her before… "

" Let me get this straight, " said Officer Jenny testily, " an electrical storm wrecked this street, nearly killed you and made a weird younger version of Misty appear from nowhere who seems to have a grudge against Brock, who's never seen her before. Am I right? "

" Yeah, that's right, " said Ash. 

" Well, if we didn't have physical evidence you'd be in the nuthouse right now. The government is sending some men down to test this area, so we have to put it off limits. We have Misty 2 in police HQ, so we might be able to get more information outta her. Meanwhile, you better get out of here. We can't let anyone in until we are sure there's no danger. "

" How do you know if it's safe or not? "

Jenny grinned. " We managed to get someone to test it for £3. "

"What! Who could possibly be that dumb? "

" Jigglypuff! " cried a voice. 

" Ah, " said Jessie, looking at the Jigglypuff, " our testing guy has arrived. "

" Hiring Jigglypuff! " cried Misty. " How low can you go? "

" Well, at least no one's gonna mind if it dies, " said Ash.

" Ash! Don't be so pig-headed! And that Officer Jenny is a real *&$%! I prefer the Viridian City Jenny. "

" I think this one is the cutest one I've ever seen, " sighed Brock pathetically, his face turning red. 

" Oh brother! Do we ALWAYS have to go through this with you?! "

_And why do we have to go through this weird mystery? I now have a younger me walking around! Why does this always happen when I'm around Ash? Maybe I should leave…_

****

So engrossed in her thoughts, she was the only one who didn't notice Jigglypuff walk into the street and disappear in a blast of energy. 

" Yaiiiiiii! " screamed Ash. " What was that?! "

" Oh, man! " snarled Jenny. " It vaporises people?! Things just can't get any worse… "

Very few people have been to Pallet's Team Rocket HQ. No non-members made it out alive. 

It is a large, camouflaged building, coated in cold steel with the red " R " emblazoned on it. Sniper rifles are mounted on the roof, watching all newcomers arrive life a hawk watching its prey. In the basement lay the Pokemon experiment labs. It was hidden so no one could here the screams.

It stank of death. It stood still as a guillotine blade. It felt like Death Row. All these thoughts went through Jessie's head as she walked down the hall. 

Beside her crept James and Meowth, looking around as if waiting for an attack. She couldn't blame them; she felt like running around screaming like a baby. But she had learnt early on that if you want to go far, you must ignore your emotions, you must become a remorseless, terrifying machine. Jessebelle at Pokemon Tech had shown her that.

" W-what do you think the boss wants? " whispered James.

" Maybe he wants to give us a pay-rise? " said Meowth hopefully.

" Dream on! " snorted Jessie. " When was the last time _we _**had a pay-rise? "**

" Dunno. I can't remember when we last got paid! "

" Quiet! We're at the communications room. If the boss hears you bad-mouthing him, he'll feed you to the Gyarados! "

" At least he doesn't lock us in a room fulla Pikachu. I'd go mad in a week! "

He fell unnaturally silent as the trio walked into the room. At the far end was a huge TV screen, showing an irritated Giovanni. 

" Well? " he snarled. " Why did it take you so long to get here?! "

" Uh, sir? We're on time. "

" You are? Oh. Sorry, it's a habit. Besides, this new assignment is of vital importance and I can't afford you being late or screwing it up! "

" W-what do we have to do? "

" Our Pallet agents have reported a strange ' electrical storm ' in Squirtle Street. Anyone who now goes into that area disappears. Our computers are picking up high levels of interdimensional energy emitting from it. "

" Say _what_?! " said Meowth.

Giovanni sighed. " It means that it is a portal to another dimension. Now, Team Rocket is very interested in parallel universes. They represent good imperialism targets. Oh, and so you don't tax your pea-brain, that means we want to conquer them. "

" This is fascinating, but what's it got to do with us? "

" Well, we need someone to study this parallel dimension. You got the job. "

" WHAT?! " screamed James. " But there could be anything there! Like living Aerodactyl's or monsters or…uh…the Planet of the Primeapes! "

" You three have the best qualifications for the job. "

" Meanin' we're expendable, so he's sendin' us in to ta check it's safe before he sends in the important guys, " whispered Meowth.

" Quiet furball! This is an important mission! Screw this up and I'll screw up your job contracts! Is that understood? "

" Y-yes, sir. "

Giovanni hung up. He turned to face the armoured figure standing in the cage behind him.

" Those incompetent fools will be our front line of attack. And when they fall, you shall take their place. " He grinned.

" And the other world shall fall. "

The figure's eyes glowed a cold blue, and it snarled in bloodlust.

Chapter 3

_The other world, now_

****

James and Ash wandered through Pallet Town, heading for Professor Oak's laboratory. Ash was also hoping to win a Bug Badge in the local gym. James already had one. He had another reason for coming to Pallet: Team Rocket activity. Specifically, Jessie. Ash didn't know about James's past with Jessie, or his desire to rescue her from Team Rocket, and James planned to keep it that way. 

Suddenly they came across a wrecked street. It was crawling with cops. Everyone seemed to be in a state of panic. 

" What d'ya think the problem is? " asked Ash.

" No idea. Can't be good. "

Growlithe snarled at the street angrily.

" Hey! What's up with you? "

" Growl! " 

" What? Something unnatural? What does that mean? "

Ash went up to Officer Jenny. " Hey, what's going on? "

" Don't ask. This street was recently hit by a freak electrical storm and our computers are going haywire whenever we go near there! We've also had a Jigglypuff appear 5 minutes ago from thin air! "

James was worried. " If it's making Jigglypuff's, then it can't be good. " 

" That's not all, " said Jenny grimly. " It made a girl disappear; someone called Misty Waterflower. " 

James was shocked. He had met her 2 weeks ago, in Cerulean City. She was a perky 7 year-old with a pet Starmie. Or rather, she _had _had a Starmie. Brock of Team Rocket had taken it. James and Ash had tried to catch him, but it was in vain. Misty had never got over it. 

" We could find her! " said Ash.

" Oh, no! No one is going into that street! It's too dangerous. "

" Dangerous, huh? " cried a voice. " Suits us then! "

" Prepare for trouble!

And make it double! "

It was Team Rocket. 

Jenny swore. " Damn it! What do _they_ want? "

" Da boss sent us ta capture all of ya Pokemon! What else? " said Meowth. " What would we want with a busted street? It's messier than my room! "

" Meowth, nothing is messier than your room. " said Jessie coldly. " _And _you keep leaving the toilet seat up! "

" Will you two shut up and just fight? " snarled Brock. " We'll be demoted unless we win this fight! "

" Oh, yeah? " cried Ash defiantly. " Then you better start looking for a new job! " 

" Pika! "

The street flashed! Being thrown out of it were three beings.

" Owww! Dat hurt! "

" Stop whining Meowth! You get hurt playing cards! "

" That's because of paper-cuts! "

James was shocked. It looked like Jessie and Meowth… and _himself_?

Then the strangers threw a flashbomb and everything went black. 

_The real world, 2 minutes ago_

****

Team Rocket had turned up, and they were fiercer than ever. They hadn't even let Ash summon his Pokemon; they'd just knocked him out. Then they'd walked into the wrecked street and disappeared. And now Ash and co. were being recruited to go after them. 

" Why us? " cried Misty. 

" Because you have had experience in fighting Team Rocket, " replied Jenny, " and because no one else wants to go. "

" Why am I not surprised? " muttered Misty.

" C'mon Misty, it'll be a snap! " said Ash. " What's the big deal? " 

" If it's that easy, then why do you need me? " 

" Back-up. If something goes wrong, me and Brock will need your help. "

" So you just need me to get myself killed so you can stay completely safe?! Well you can get someone else, 'cause I'm not going! "

" Misty, we need you, " he pleaded. " What's the problem? "

Misty snapped. All the anger that had been building up was released.

" ' What's the problem'? WHAT'S THE FREAKIN' PROBLEM?! Where do you want me to start? Oh, how about when you stole my bike and got it trashed, and you just swept it under the rug like it's no big deal? How about the fact that I joined with you to get the money you owe me, and you act like I owe YOU for letting me hang around? How about having my entire LIFE screwed up by being with you? THAT ENOUGH FOR YOU?! "

Ash was speechless with shock. He had no idea about what to do.

Misty continued: " I'm taking a look around, and I don't see _anything _that makes me wanna stay. You want back up? Then get someone else, because I quit this stupid group. For good. "

She walked off, quickly, not looking back. She knew something would make her stop leaving if she looked back. 

__

The other world, now

****

Team Rocket ran through the streets of the other universe. They had no idea where they where and they didn't care. All that mattered was the mission. Or in James' case, the mission and lunch.

" OK, be prepared for anything, " warned Jessie. " An attack could come from anywhere… "

" Like behind you. "

" Wha-?"

They spun round to see a shadowy figure behind them. It was Brock in Team Rocket garb.

" Oh, nuts! " screamed Meowth. " The twerps followed us, and they're taking the pee outta our unifoim! "

" I don't know what you're talking about, freak, " snarled Brock, " but know I resent having strangers impersonating colleagues and my worst enemy. "

" And he's not alone. " 

Team Rocket turned to see a new threat… another Jessie and Meowth.

" Holy crap on a stick! " swore the real Meowth. " Two Jessie's! My worst nightmares have come true! "

" I know how ya feel, " agreed Meowth 2. 

" Quiet! " ordered the Jessie's. They looked at each other in agreement. 

" OK, will someone tell me what is going on? " said Brock 2.

" Where do you want us to start? " 

Ash was bewildered. Misty had been around for so long, he just couldn't comprehend her leaving.

_It's all your fault_**, whispered an inner voice. **_You wrecked her bike. You never gave her any consideration. All you cared about was your stupid fantasies. And where have they got you? You just lost yourself one of your few friends…_

NO! **he thought fiercely. **_She'll come back! She will! She can't have meant what she said… She can't…_

**Pikachu stared up at him, and to his astonishment Ash was crying. He was crying and he didn't even realise it. Pikachu had no idea of what to do. Brock came over and knelt by Ash.**

" Hey, bud, " he said, " you're taking this hard, huh? "

" N-no, what gives you that idea? "

_Sigh. _" You're transparent. You're not gonna get any better by denying your pain. You must acknowledge it, and only then can you find a way to beat it. The important thing here is not to get too mad. If you decide to go after Misty and insult her, bad-mouth her or anything like that, it's your choice. _But it won't help you_. It'll only make you enemies. "

Ash wiped his eyes. " Th-thanks Brock, I needed that. "

" Yeah, I know. Y'know, we don't have to do the mission if you don't won't to… "

" No. We made a commitment, and we're gonna follow it through. We're gonna solve this mystery once and for all. "

Pikachu knew his master was recovering. He gave his thanks to Brock.

" Pi. "

And the three of them walked into the street of the unknown…

They found themselves in another wrecked street. And Ash was staring at himself. 

Chapter 4

_The other world_

In his young life, Ash Ketchum had experienced many weird things. He had seen people ride tidal wives, been on a sunken ship, seen a ghost and had once _been_ a ghost. Even people around him had seen weird things, like Gary's claim of a strange, evil Pokemon in armour. 

But nothing can prepare you for seeing yourself.

Ash stared at Ash. Pikachu stared at Pikachu. 

The other Ash broke the silence. 

" What the hell are you?! "

" I'm Ash. And why are you wearing my face? "

" What? You're the impostor here! If you're gonna trick me, then you shouldn't have a Team Rocket member standing in plain view! "

" Who? Me? " asked Brock. " You're the one with the felon! That's James of Team Rocket! "

" Hey! " yelled James. " I would never join Team Rocket. And how did you get here anyway? "

" We went through that portal in the street back there, " said Ash. 

" It's a portal? " marvelled Ash 2. " That explains those Team Rocket-wannabe's that came outta there a second ago. "

" What?! How long ago was that? "

" I dunno. They knocked us out with a flashbomb. "

" This is confusing, " moaned Brock. " Isn't there anything familiar here… Hey waitaminute! That's an Officer Jenny over there! Those looks are very familiar… "

His face grew red, his voice went goofy, and he started to float over to the Jenny.

" Hi, I'm Brock! You're a policewoman, huh? Well you can arrest ME anytime…"

Jenny sweat-dropped. " Okaaay…" _Just stay calm, Jenny. Just try and ignore the weirdo…_

****

" Heheh… I apologise for my friend Brock, "said Ash, embarrassed. " He's just a little mental. "

" This is very strange, " said James 2. " I think I have a theory for all of this. "

" What? "

" Parallel universes. " 

" What?! "

Jessie sighed. " Look, Brock 2, we've gone over this 15 TIMES now! Me, James and Meowth are from a parallel universe. Look, maybe this will make it easier… "

She pulled out a pair of Arbok-and-Weezing finger puppets. 

" Why, mister Arbok, where did you come from, " she mimicked. " I came from a parallel dimension. That means -"

" I KNOW WHAT IT MEANS! What I want to know is why I have to be called Brock 2? "

" Yeah, and why am I Jessie 2? " complained Jessie 2. " It undermines my originality and style. "

" What?! ' Original style '? You look the same as me! How's that original? "

" Yeah, well you're the doubles, so why aren't you Jessie 2? "

"Because we are the superior ones! "

" Are not! "

" Oh yeah? Hands up all those who've been to a parallel universe. Not putting your hand up? Then shut up! "

" Yeesh, deese guys bicker a lot, " said Meowth. " I thought only my world's J+J were this annoying. "

" Mine always leave there old socks lying about, " complained Meowth 2. "Muks everywhere make pilgrimages under dere beds. " 

" Mine too! "

" Even our Meowths are against us, " moaned Jessie 2. " What are you guys doing here anyway? "

" We're here, " said Jessie proudly, " to pave the way for our Team Rocket to conquer this world! "

" Really? I thought the boss dumped us here to get rid of us. " said James. 

" Well, that too… but mostly what I said! "

Brock 2 stared at the strangers. He had always been a mercenary sort, and didn't have many feelings of loyalty towards Team Rocket. He also liked to be on the side of the victors. If the other world could breach dimensional barriers, and could even consider talking over other universes… well, then he had found new masters. 

" So how can we help? "

Everyone looked at him. " Uh, Brock 2, what about our boss? " asked Jessie 2.

" Screw him! These guys are the winners. I'm joining them. "

" Me too, " said Meowth 2.

" Fine! I'll come too. But don't blame me if you get killed or something… "

" Well then, " said Meowth, " let's get back to our world! When da boss sees this he'll make me Top Cat again! "

His eyes watered and he made pathetic whining noises.

" Dream on! " snorted Brock 2. " If you're anything like our Meowth, then you can't find your way outta a paper bag if you had a map and the bottom was cut out! "

" That's not true! It was a plastic bag. "

The ill-matched team made their way through the dark alleys, hoping to find the portal street unguarded. Each of them harboured their own private thoughts. Jessie was primarily worried that the boss would like her double more than her. Jessie 2 had more personal things to think about. She turned to talk to James.

" Hey, er, James 1! " she called.

James blanched. He'd been dreading this. He fancied Jessie and knew that he wouldn't love anyone else, but that is hard to do when there are 2 Jessies. 

_OK James, you can get through this, just stay calm… think unsexy thoughts, think unsexy thoughts…D'OH! Too late! _

**" So, you joined Team Rocket, " stated Jessie 2.**

" Huh? " That wasn't what he was expected. " What does that mean? "

" Well, er, you joined Team Rocket. Why? "

" Well, I didn't plan it originally. I actually wanted to be a real trainer, but I couldn't cut it. I flunked outta Pokemon Tech University, then ended up running away and joined a bike gang. Jessie had already joined, so we started hanging out again. Then we saw a Team Rocket ad. We'd got tired of the gang, so we joined TR. We haven't been doing well. "

" What he means is, " called Meowth, " that he is crap at his job an' he can't beat a 10-year-old twerp even when he has a freakin' tank ta back him up! "

James went red with shame. " He's lying really… What's the big deal anyway?"

Jessie 2 sighed. " Well, my James ran away too. But he made something of himself. He's now hanging around with that weird kid Ash. "

" No way! I'm/he's a twerp?! "

" Worse. He's an enemy. And that's what bugs me. "

" Because you have feelings for him? " 

She was shocked. " How did you know? "

" Well, I was gonna say that it was because he owed you money, but that didn't make any sense. "

She smiled sadly. " I just never thought of him/you being in Team Rocket. It just never would've worked. I was wrong. I know you've already got too tangled up in this to leave TR. It's just…I don't want you to turn out like Brock 2. "

" Why not? " he said confused. " He's better than my world's Brock. He chases women half the day and gets beaten up by their boyfriends for the other half. This one is cool. "

" Oh, yeah? Well, you know there are some Rockets who have never killed? Brock isn't one of them. "

" You're kidding me, right? "

" No. And he didn't even have to do it. He _wanted _to. Don't be like him; you'll lose everything good about you. "

She walked off, leaving James to feel confused. He stared at Brock 2, and tried to imagine him as a murderer. His mind created an image so powerful that he turned ghostly white. He was afraid. 

Back at Team Rocket headquarters, an armour-clad figure paced in its cage. Cold blue eyes glowed through its visor. A low growl came from its throat.

_Giovanni will spend all his forces on this new dimension. And in the chaos I will be able to escape. He claims we are equals… Hah! He is trying to trick me. He treats me like he would any other Pokemon. But I'll show him. I SHALL be free. And when I am, the human race shall fall…_

**And the creature laughed long into the night. **

To be continued in Part 2. 

__

Please write in with any comments. Flames shall be fed to my pet Charmander. Part 2 will be up whenever. I'm gonna wait until I get 3 good reviews first so I know I'm doing a good job before I write Part 2. 


	2. Default Chapter Title

****

Chapter 5 

Giovanni gazed around the lab. He looked down at the scientists as if they were bugs beneath his feet. 

" What do you mean you didn't open the portal? " he growled threateningly. "I have been funding your pathetic attempts for 5 years, and once we have a break through you have the stupidity to tell me it was someone else?! " 

" Well, s-sir, we were nearly ready to do it ourselves… "

" I don't want to hear your pathetic excuses! I've been hearing them ever since this project started. We are the only group with the technology needed to cross dimensional barriers, or so _you _say. "

" W-we think it was caused by a freak accident, " whispered the scientist, sweat pouring down his face, eyes wide with fear. 

" I don't care. Do you idiots have the PUC device ready, at least? "

" Yes, we do! All you need to do is get to the portal and turn it on. "

" Excellent. I may spare you yet. Prepare Mewtwo for transport. I want him at the site in 2 hours. "

Giovanni marched out, carrying a small device with him; the PUC. It was shaped like a gun, at Giovanni's insistence. He was a fan of the phrase " go with what you know ". 

The scientist breathed a sigh of relief and turned to his work-mate. " Hey Tom, you think we should have told him about the break-in? "

Tom snorted. " Are you suicidal or something? If he knew that someone had hacked into our computers… besides, we still don't know who it was. "

" Maybe it was the creature. "

Everyone in the room laughed. " Ha! Simon, I never knew you had a sense of humour! The creature could never have done this. It's only an animal. "

" Oh really? " said an amused voice. " To me, you are just a human. And a pathetically weak one at that… "

Everyone in the room spun round, trying to find where the voice was coming from. If the speaker was who they thought it was, they were all dead. Unfortunately, none of them had ever seen _Alien_, and therefore never thought to check the air vents. What happened to the victims on _Alien _would end up becoming very relevant to them…

The vent exploded! Simon screamed as shrapnel was embedded into his face. No-one heard him. They were too busy screaming themselves.

Out of the vent crawled a deformed, cat-like being, eyes glowing an icy blue. It grinned maniacally at them, dreaming of what it would do to them. 

" I felt so sorry about your work, " it said pityingly, " and how badly it was doing, so I decided to intervene. I knew Giovanni would be distracted by it. Maybe distracted enough to not notice a few, personal, ah, _missing_… "

" Y-you can't do that! " cried Tom in fear. " You're just a Pokemon, you could never mess with dimensional space! "

Mewtwo looked sad. " So, you think I'm just a puny genetic freak. No-one believes in my powers… I know! I'll show you my powers… "

The monster's eyes glowed blue. Tom felt afraid. He felt trapped, like the walls were closing in on him. 

He gasped in shock. They WERE closing in on him!

He screamed hysterically. " No, you can't do this! YOU CAN'T DO THIS! " 

His fellow scientists stared at him. He was screaming at nothing. Mewtwo grinned.

" I spend all this effort going into his mind and making him see his worst nightmare, and it turns out he's claustrophobic. But I'm sure the rest of you don't want to see my Phobia attack, do you? No, I'll show you my other powers… "

His eyes were no longer blue. They were black as a void. One human dared look into them and lost his sanity. The others didn't notice. They were too busy noticing all the computers explode into flame, and how Mewtwo threw them into the flames, and how their skin was burning off… 

" HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! And so these humans fall. And so the human race shall fall! The Age of Mewtwo has begun! And the only humans who could possibly stop me are stuck in another reality… "

Chapter 6

"…And that's why we're here, " finished Ash. 

His new allies, Ash 2 and James 2, stared at him. " You/I went into another dimension to investigate, huh? " said Ash 2. " Why? "

" Well, er, because Officer Jenny asked us. "

" I personally think that's a brilliant reason, " sighed Brock dreamily. 

" God, are you cracked?! " yelled Ash 2. " You'd have ta pay me to go to a parallel universe! It's too dangerous! "

" Really, " smirked James 2. " I never saw anyone pay you to cycle off Sunny Town Bridge on a bike. "

Ash 2 went red. " Well…ah…I had a good reason! "

" Stop messing around! " snapped Ash. " My world's Team Rocket is here, and we have to find them. " 

He walked off. James 2 stared after him. " What's up with him? "

Brock sighed grimly. " He's just upset about Misty. "

James 2 frowned. " Misty Waterflower? How does he know her? She's only 8. " 

" In our world she's his age. She used to hang around with us when we were on a Pokemon journey. They seemed to be good friends. But it turns out she hated life on the road. She just left 1 hour ago. Ash needs some more time to get over it. "

" Tough break, " said James 2. " He may not get over it though. I know what it feels like t-to lose someone you love…and it never stops hurting. "

They looked at him. " Hey, you never told me about anything like that, " cried Ash 2. "

" There are things you don't know about me. Things I like to keep private. "

" Really? Like what? "

" Kid, do you actually _know_ what " private " means? "

" Alright, alright! I can take a hint! I'll go talk to Ash… "

He walked off in a huff. Brock looked at James 2 questioningly. 

" OK, spill the beans. Who did you lose? Your pet Growlithe? Parents? Jessie? "

James 2 blanched. " How did you know about Jessie?! " 

" Hey, in my world I have to deal with you and Jessie every day. It's obvious that you two have feelings for each other. Like me and Nurse Joy… "

" Uh, Brock? I hate to break it to you, but Joy doesn't like you. "

Brock grew angry and slammed James 2 against the wall. " You're lying! " he screamed. 

" Look, how many times has a Nurse Joy hit you in the face? "

" Uh, a couple dozen? "

" Now, how many times has she tried to run away from you? "

" Again, a couple dozen. "

" Now, how many times have they fired a shot at you? "

" Hey! That only happened once! "

" Riiight. What does this tell you? "

" Uh, she loves me but is really shy? " grinned Brock hopefully.

James 2 screamed. " NOOOOOOOOOO!!! BROCK, GET IT INTO YOUR THICK HEAD!! SHE DOESN'T LIKE YOU!!! "

Brock got very angry. " Why, you little-?! "

He proceeded to grab James 2 by the throat and strangled him. He was then approached by a weasel-like lawyer. 

" Mr Brock, I represent Homer Simpson! This is an illegal impression. Boys?"

Two huge Golems calmly walked over to Brock, calmly picked him up and calmly smashed his face into a brick wall. 

" Finally, someone shut him up, " muttered James 2.

Ash walked through the alley, lost in his thoughts. Tears rolled down his cheeks but he didn't notice. He was too busy thinking about Misty. 

__

This is the first adventure I've had without Misty. Should've seen it coming. Everyone I've met has gone. AJ, Snap, Melanie…Just never thought it would happen with Misty. Why did she never say anything though? Why…

****

He grew angry. She had expected him to change for her, even though she'd never said anything to him. How dare she… He kicked the wall in his fury, cracking it. Screaming, he threw a bin onto the floor, breaking it. 

__

I'm through with this! I don't need her! I never needed her! All her nagging, her insults…and I want her back so I can go through it all again? 

****

" DAMN YOU MISTY! " he screamed. 

" Ash, get a grip! " cried Ash 2 worriedly, grabbing Ash in an attempt to restrain him. 

" Get off me! " he snarled. He pulled his arm back and punched his double straight in the face. 

" Gahh! " Ash 2 staggered back in shock. Ash suddenly realised what he'd done. 

" Oh man, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to… "

" Shut up. Just tell me what's wrong. James 2 already thinks you're a nut. "

Ash laughed bitterly. " Oh yeah, him! Well I don't give a crap what he thinks. I don't trust him and I don't see why you do. " 

" Hey! He may not be the smartest guy on the planet but he's my friend! I don't care about the relationship you have with your world's James, but mine…"

" …Is a filthy liar, " finished Ash. " C'mon, he hasn't told you about his relationship with Jessie yet, has he? "

Ash 2 was bewildered. " What about it? They're enemies. What's biting you?"

Ash sighed. " Really wanna know? "

" Yeah! Look, we're practically the same guy and if you can't trust yourself, who can you? "

" Well, I've got this friend, Misty. We've been together for a whole year, and always been there for each other. Now I find out that she hates this life, and me. She just left an hour ago. And I feel like it's my fault… "

" It is. "

Ash exploded. " Hey! I thought you were supposed to be helping me! "

" Hey, I'm only looking at it from her point of view! " apologised Ash 2. "Now, did you ever ask her what _she_ wanted to do? "

" I…er…can't remember, " he said uncomfortably.

" That's the problem! She probably feels like you're oppressing her! The only way you two will make up is if you prove to her that you're not. "

Ash looked at his double in astonishment, asking, " how the hell do you know all this stuff? "

" Easy, " grinned his double, " that's how Gary used to treat me! Anyway, " he continued seriously, " if you want to be friends again, you'll have to talk to her. Talk to her _maturely_, not a yelling-and-swearing match. "

" I wouldn't do that! " protested Ash.

" Look man, I'm you. I know how you/I act and maturely isn't it! "

" Yeah, guess you're right. Thanks man, I needed that talk. 

" Don't mention it. By the way, what where you gonna say about Jessie and James? "

" Erm…nothing, nothing. Anyway, we've got a mission to get to! Let's go! " 

" Giovanni? Jessie here, " she barked into the phone. " We're coming back to our world and we have some recruits from this world. "

Giovanni gasped. " What? This is brilliant! You did something right! I should give you a raise…Who are they anyway? "

" Well, um, they're us, " she said, embarrassed. " From this world, of course."

There was a cold silence. " What? "

Jessie instinctively knew they'd screwed up. She started to think of ways she could shift the blame to Meowth.

" One of you is bad enough! Couldn't you have hired someone with brains?! " ranted Giovanni angrily. " Just get back to the portal. " 

He hung up. Jessie breathed a sigh of relief. She led the group back to the portal. 

Problem was, Officer Jenny was there already. 

" Damn! " swore Jessie 2. " What do we do now? " 

" We could use our disguises? " suggested James ecstatically. 

Meowth stared at him. " God, why are you so obsessed with cross-dressing? "

James blushed. " Well, ah, that's kinda a long story… Oh, all right! I do it because it annoyed Jessebelle, and since then it's become a habit. "

" You mean it's not because you're gay? " said Meowth, astonished.

" No! Where did you get that idea? "

" Well you act like you are. "

WHAAAACK! 

" Shut your Me-outh! "

" We can't use our disguises anyway because they're back at the base, " grumbled Jessie. " I've got another plan though. What we'll do is- "

BLAM!

Officer Jenny fell to the ground, her chest torn and bloody. Brock 2 stood triumphantly, gun smoking, a smirk on his face. 

" My God… " Jessie gasped.

" Hey, what's the big deal? " he asked. " I sorted out our problem didn't I? "

" That's not the point! The point is- "

" I understand the point, and I can tell right now where to shove it. "

At that, he walked off. The original Rockets stared at him in disbelief. 

" The guy's a psycho, " stated Meowth.

" Try working with him for 5 months, " muttered Jessie 2. 

They managed to get to the portal without further incident. Once they got there though, things started to get interesting…

Jessie was worried about the twerps being at the portal. She hated them but she didn't want Brock 2 to kill them. Briefly, she wondered where this world's James was. She soon found out.

Ash and the gang released their Pokemon, sending Pidgeotto, Zubat and Growlithe to look for Team Rocket. Since Ash had planned all this, they were unprepared for Team Rocket coming to them. 

" Prepare for trouble! "

" And make it double double! "

The two Ash's spun round. " What the hell! " they cried in unison.

" To protect the world from devastation! 

To slaughter all enemies in this nation!

To denounce the evils of truth and love! 

To team up and conquer the stars above!

Jessie!

Brock 2!

Jessie 2!

And James the First! 

Meowth! Slashing you down at the speed of light!

Surrender, for it's Meowth 2 you'll fight! 

THAT'S RIGHT! "

Ash 2 sweat-dropped. " Great. Now the motto sounds twice as worse! "

" You said it brother! " called his double.

James 2 was oblivious to all of this. He was too busy wondering why he was standing over there, when he was standing here. But even that paled to the weirdness of seeing two Jessie's. 

" Jessie? " he whispered.

Jessie stared at him. " James? "

" Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light! " giggled James. 

" Great, you came to us! Now we don't have to find you, " said Ash.

" Oh, yeah? You're gonna wish you'd never looked for us when I'm through with you! " snarled Brock 2.

" Is that a challenge? " said Ash 2 icily, confidently smirking.

" Believe it twerp! " yelled Jessie drawing her Pokeball. " Team Rocket, attack! "

" GO LICKITUNG! "

" GO GEODUDE! "

" GO EKANS! "

" GO WEEZING! "

Bright streams of light burst out of the Pokeballs, materialising into formidable creatures. Ekans gave a sinister hiss. Weezing blasted poisonous gas at its enemies. Geodude clenched its fists, smirking. Lickitung tried to scowl but just ended up looking even cuter. 

Ash clenched his fists. " This is it? " 

Ash 2 grinned. " Ha! Pikachu will wipe all out on his own! "

" You use Pikachu then. I'll use the one thing they won't be expecting…"

" All right! GO PIKACHU! "

" GO ONIX! "

" GO SANDSLASH! "

" GO KRABBY! "

Jessie burst out laughing. " Krabby?! You got to be kidding me! You expect to win with that? "

" Hey! Don't insult my friend's Krabby! " yelled Ash 2 angrily. " You're the one with the Lickitung! Jeez, could it possibly be any fatter? "

Lickitung heard this, and immediately started crying. Jessie got really angry. " Alright twerp! You just got yourself into the biggest battle of your life! "

" Then I'm taking Jessie 2! " called Ash.

The battle was joined. Normally Ash would have the advantage but his Pokemon choice was holding him down. Ekans kept avoiding Krabby's Vice Grip but couldn't land a bite because Krabby kept using Harden.

Jessie had already won. Lickitung was so pissed that it attacked before being told to, and knocked Pikachu out with a Slam attack. 

James was losing to James 2. Sandslash's Sand Attack blocked every attack Weezing did, and then it would use devastating Fury Swipe attacks. 

" Y'know, we don't have to fight, we could just talk about this, " suggested James 2.

" I'd love to, but if I do, Jessie will kill me. "

Brock was losing. Onix may have been stronger than Geodude, but Geodude kept using vicious attacks. 

" Onix, Rock Throw! " ordered Brock desperately.

Brock 2 just grinned coldly. " Geodude, Explosion! "

The living boulder charged, grabbed its opponent's head, and blew up.

" ROOAAAAR! " Onix fell screaming, his face covered with blood. Geodude re-materialised and stood over its opponent, smirking like its trainer. 

" Onix! NOOOO! " wailed Brock, quickly returning his Pokemon. He turned towards his double in a mad fury. " You freak! What are you trying to do?! "

" I'm only trying to win, " said Brock 2 innocently, his Geodude grinning psychotically. 

Jessie knew that the longer they stayed fighting, the more chance there was of the cops turning up. The battle was showing no signs of stopping. The twerp's double was already summoning his Butterfree, James was getting Weezing to use Explosion attacks and Ash had switched Pokemon and was using Bulbasaur. There was only one way to get out of this…

Sighing heavily, she turned to Brock 2. " Get your gun out. "

He grinned. " Glad to see you coming round to my way of thinking! "

Whipping his gun out as quickly as an Ekans, he started firing at Brock! Brock swore and dived out of the way. Luckily only his left arm had been hit. The others weren't gonna take any chances though.

" Run for it! " screamed James 2 urgently. 

" All right, they're on the run, we can go now! " ordered Jessie 2. 

" All right, " grumbled Brock 2, " but if they come after us again, I'm aiming for the eyes. "

He went through the portal first. Big mistake. James 2 had been watching them, and saw his chance. If he could get to Jessie 2 before she went into the portal, he might be able to talk to her and convince her to quit Team Rocket. He ran forward. 

Ekans noticed him. Wanting to protect his master, he unleashed a Poison Sting! 

James 2 felt something jab him in the stomach. Wincing, he looked down at the stinger embedded in him. Already, the blood oozing from the wound was turning black. He was engulfed by pain, a million knives jabbing into him. 

He did the only thing he could do. He screamed.

" Oh my God! " gasped Jessie 2. She had to get him treatment, otherwise he might die. But she couldn't stay here…

Grimly, she returned Ekans, who was standing proudly over his victim, and carried James 2 into the portal with her.

" Oh, *$^@! " swore Ash angrily. " Now what do we do? "

" We have to rescue him! " cried Ash 2 defiantly, running after the Rockets. 

" Wait! " yelled Brock. " What about our Pokemon? They need to get healed up. And we still have Pidgeotto, Zubat and Growlithe running around. "

" OK, " said Ash, strategizing, " I'll go with Ash 2, you stay here and get our Pokemon healed. Once they're done, go through the portal after us. "

" Right! "

Ash ran off with Pikachu, through the portal…

And into someone's nightmare. 

Chapter 7

The whole place was a psychedelic nightmare. Swirls of colour were splattered all over the place and kept changing colour. The edges of this place seemed to stretch into infinity, and they could move anywhere as if there was no gravity. 

" So this is what your world looks like, huh? " grunted Ash 2.

" No way! If it did, I would have died long ago from vomiting up my guts. "

Ash 2 looked around, but couldn't see Team Rocket. " Crap. Where the hell are they? "

Ash shrugged. " What're you asking me for? Ask the author. "

Ash 2 grinned. " Of course! " Then he frowned, looking at Ash oddly. "Huh?"

" Never mind, let's just find the Rockets. "

Giovanni glared at the team with barely disguised contempt. " This is all you have to bring me? " he growled, stroking his Persian. " A poisoned doppelganger and your own parallel forms. I knew I should've used Butch and Cassidy. "

Jessie clenched her fists. She hated being compared to Cassidy. Ever since they were kids, they'd been compared. Cassidy had money, a strong pet Pokemon, friends… in short, everything Jessie never had. Even in Team Rocket, Jessie had never been promoted and was permanently stuck in the Whitelighters, the beginners' team. Yet Cassidy went straight the top, just like her childhood…

__

Get a grip!** She told herself. **_You can act jealous later. Just prove to the Boss that you haven't screwed up. _

****

" With all due respect, sir, these two are very capable agents and - "

" Spare me, " groaned Giovanni. " I don't want to know. These losers aren't worth the bother. "

" Hey! " yelled Brock 2. " Who are YOU calling a loser, Blofeld! "

" What did you call me?! " 

" Look freak, I didn't come all the way into your little LSD-inspired fantasy just to get insulted. I came here for the money, and the power. Obviously, you don't deserve me. In fact, you probably don't deserve to be the boss of your screw-up TR imitation. "

Jessie blanched, Meowth gasped and James choked on his donuts. _Nobody _**mouthed off at the Boss! The last person who did it wanted to commit suicide anyway…and got his wish! Jessie 2 and Meowth 2 just filed it in their minds in the " Reasons why that guy's a Screw-Up " section. **

Giovanni stared coldly at the rebel, his Persian hissing and drawing its bladed claws. His mouth twitched, as if trying to contain his rage, which was already oozing out. Then, he began to laugh. 

" Ha ha ha hahahahahaHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! " 

Everyone stared at him in fear, even Persian. They all thought what Meowth was muttering; " he's lost it. "

Only Brock 2 stood calmly, even contemptuously. Giovanni grinned at him.

" I like this boy. I like him a lot… "

He looked at the other 2 newcomers. A second Meowth could be useful as cannon fodder, and the new Jessie may be trained better than the original ever was. He frowned at James, who was turning blue.

" Someone please stop James choking on that donut. "

Jessie whipped out a mallet and smacked her partner in the back. The bits of donut shot out of his mouth, covering an unamused Meowth. Giovanni sighed in disbelief.

" So sir, " gasped James, giving praise for breathing, " where the hell are we?"

" Finally! I've been waiting for 10 minutes for someone to ask me that! This is my pocket dimension. This exists outside of both the worlds, and through it you can access any of them. It was made by Rocket technology, the PUC, or Pocket Universe Creator. "

Meowth looked around. " It's very, er…colourful. "

" Yes, yes. Stop trying to suck up to me, cat. "

" Wha- How did you tell?! "

" Now, Jessie 2, you still haven't told me why you brought this James 2 with you. He serves no purpose, has nothing we need and he isn't even a Rocket! "

Jessie 2 stared at the floor. " Well sir… I, well… "

" She plans to use him as bait to catch the twerps! " interrupted James. 

Giovanni was surprised. " Really? How surprisingly ruthless. I didn't think she had it in her, being Jessie's double and all. Good job! " 

" Thank you, " whispered Jessie 2 to James. " I needed a good excuse. "

" Hey, Giovanni would've got rid of him/me, and no-one does that to my double! " he replied fiercely. 

BLEEEEEEEP! 

BLEEEEEEEEEEP!

BLEEEEEEEEEEEEP! 

" Aw, shoot! " grumbled Giovanni. " That was the intruder alarm. "

" I can deal with 'em! " grinned Brock 2 maniacally. 

" No doubt you could, but I want to keep you for extreme problems. No, I have other pawns to use. "

__

Like Mewtwo. How long can it take to get that thing here? He can't have figured out my enslavement plans yet, can it? Oh, well. I hardly need him to take on some stupid little kid! 

****

Pulling out a Pokeball, he casually tossed it to the ground. And emerging from it…

" MACHAAAAMP! "

" Whoa! " cried Meowth. " Wish I was like that! "

Meowth 2 snorted. " What, and have four arms? Think of all the deodorant you'd need! "

" Machamp! " cried Giovanni. " There're intruders around here. Eliminate them. "

" CHAMP! " 

Chapter 8

James 2 lay on a sick bed, eyes closed. His breath was raspy and his face was frozen in a painful grimace. Jessie 2 just watched him, as she had been for an hour already. 

__

God James, what where you thinking? I've already lost our friendship, I don't wanna lose your life as well…

****

" Uhhh… " He groaned, eyes opening. He stared at Jessie 2 in confusion.

" W-where am I? "

" Don't ask, it's too complicated. The digest version is that you're in another world. "

" Damn. How'd I get here anyway? "

Jessie 2 sighed. " I brought you here. You were poisoned, and I just couldn't let you die. " She suddenly became angry. " Damn it James! What the hell were you trying to pull?! You might have died! "

" I don't care! " he yelled. " It doesn't matter as long as I can save you. "

Jessie 2's eyes grew huge, anime-style. James 2 was burning with embarrassment after telling her his secret fantasy. No-one said anything. They just stared at each other.

She broke the silence. " W-what'd'ya mean by ' save me ' " she stammered apprehensively. 

James 2 was uncomfortable. " Well, y'know, " he said awkwardly, " save you from Team Rocket. To save you from this whole goddamn world you're in. "

Jessie 2's face darkened. " Maybe I don't want to be saved, " she whispered angrily.

" Why wouldn't you? " he asked, bewildered. " You, stealing peoples Pokemon? Breaking their hearts? That's just not like you. "

" James, that was back when I was into power rangers, " she said, exasperated. 

" Hey! I still watch that! "

" James 2! That's not the point! The point is you're expecting me to act like I did when we were 10. That was 7 damn years ago. "

" So? I haven't changed that much. I haven't sold my soul. "

" Bastard! " she screamed, slapping him in the face. " You have no idea what I've been through since then! "

He stared at her. " Well, I want to know. C'mon, just tell me what happened. "

" You know what happened in Pokemon Tech. You know what Jessebelle did to me. " Jessie 2 gulped, trying to fight back the tears that always came when she remembered those days. " T-then we flunked out and you were taken back home. I couldn't go back. I didn't have a home. My mum was dead. "

James 2 flinched, tears in his eyes. " Oh God Jess, I had no idea… "

" Yeah, well you do now. I didn't want to disgrace my mother's memory. She'd left me all her money so I could go to the Tech. So, determined to be something, I set off for Pallet Town to become a Pokemon Master. I ended up staying in a bike gang instead. You have no idea how fun those times were. The freedom, the respect… "

She closed her eyes, remembering her old buddies. Tyra, Chopper… But they were obscured, erased by the sirens and the blood. Her lip quivered.

" We were arrested by the police. W-we were trying to get away, a-and they shot us down. Tyra was shot trying to help me escape. S-she died in my arms… "

She burst into tears. James 2 was shocked that anyone could go through that. He felt he had to say something to Jessie 2, but he didn't want to say the wrong thing. So he just held her, comforting her.

She sniffed, her head buried in his chest. She pulled herself together and started to continue. 

" So all my friends were dead and I was only 13. " she muttered sorrowfully. "I couldn't get a job or anything, so I just lived on the streets, scrounging around in bins like a goddamn Rattata. It wasn't all bad though… " She smiled sadly remembering meeting her street friend. " I met Meowth. "

" Meowth? "

" Yeah, Meowth, human-talk and all. Turns out he'd learnt our language just so he could impress a girl Meowth he fancied. She loved him for it. She left her owner, he left his gang and they travelled the streets together. He had told me it was the happiest time of his life. Then a Pokemon trainer came along and captured Meowzy. In one instant his entire left had fallen apart. He never trusted humans after that, and it took me months before we became friends. "

James 2 was bawling by now. " Oh God, that's so sad! I always that of Meowth as just annoying but now… " He wiped his eyes. " But how did all this make you join Team Rocket? "

" Be patient! " she snapped habitually. " Now where was I? Ah, yes, the streets. Basically we decided that the world didn't want us to live normal lives. So we decided ' screw the world, I'm outta here ' and went to the only job that would take a 15-year-old and a Meowth: Team Rocket. "

" So it was just for survival? " said James 2, relieved. " Never anything bad? "

" No! Well, Meowth had an idea that by stealing Pokemon, he might find his Meowzy. Sometimes that's all that keeps him going. "

James 2 sighed sadly. " So I guess you're not gonna leave then? " he muttered, looking at the floor. 

" I just can't. "

BLEEEEEEEP!  
BLEEEEEEEEEEP!

BLEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!

" Emergency! " called Giovanni over the intercom system. " We have a Code 8 Twerp infestation! All personnel report for battle immediately! "

" What?! " screamed Jessie 2. " How the hell did they get through the defences? "

__

Earlier**…**

Ash and Ash 2 stepped over the groaning body of Machamp. Defeating it was easy, because it was a male Machamp and no matter how strong a man is, there is a certain spot on his body that always hurts when you kick it. 

" Too easy! " crowed Ash 2. 

" Pikapi! " agreed Pikachu. 

" We better be careful though, " warned Ash, " the next enemy could be right around the corner. "

" KO-KING! " roared a giant Kingler.

" I hate being right all the time. "

The Kingler charged! Ash was sent flying! 

" No! " cried Ash 2. " That does it! PARAS, GO! "

" Par-eeee! "

The Kingler gave it the People's Eyebrow (ä and ã of the Rock), before Crab Hammering the little bug into paté. 

" Oh man! A one-hit KO! "

Pikachu jumped in to battle, to get the crab back for attacking Ash. 

" Piiiiiiiikaaaaaa-chuuuuuuuuuuu! " 

A powerful Thundershock attack struck Kingler dead on, lighting the entire area up. Kingler didn't even flinch. It had used Harden as a shield.

" Chu, " swore Pikachu. He gave Kingler the Middle Finger. 

" King! " snarled a peeved Kingler, striking back with a Bubble attack.

" Pi! Pi! Pi! Pi! " Pikachu screamed in agony as blast after blast struck it. 

" Pikachu can't beat it either? " cried both Ash's in shock. 

Kingler had finished torturing Pikachu. Now it turned its attention to _them_…

" Oh, crap! " moaned Ash. 

Kingler charged… and was knocked back by a combined Fire Blast and Thunder. 

" Kooo… " it muttered before losing consciousness. 

" Need a hand? " said a voice teasingly. 

" Hi Brock, " called Ash 2.

" Hey. Oh yeah, I've got our Pokemon healed and they're ready for battle! Ash 2 can take Pikachu, Ash takes Krabby…but where's James 2? "

" We still haven't found him yet, " admitted Ash. 

" Well, why not check that huge fortress with the big ' R ' on it over there? "

Everyone looked. Surely enough, there was a large Team Rocket fortress that the two Ash's had never noticed. 

" Yeah, we could do that… "

" Growlithe! " growled Growlie, anxious to get back to James 2. Fed up waiting around for these twerps, he ran on ahead. 

" Hey, wait for us! "

" Our defences have failed, " Giovanni informed his troops. " They have taken down two Level 80 Pokemon and are here in force. "

" Well if you'd put more Pokemon on defence… " muttered Brock 2.

Giovanni carried on, oblivious. " Brock 2, you will intercept the twerps and crush their Pokemon. Try to eliminate Brock's, they're quite strong. The Meowths will take on the 2 Pikachu. "

" We will? " gulped Meowth. 

" Oh, stop whining. The rest of you had better get your Pokemon ready: you're the last line of defence. "

" I can't handle this much pressure! " whined James.

" For God's sake… Brock 2, you better win or we're doomed. "

" Ha! I can deal with a bunch of kids. "

" You better! Now, all of you! Prepare for trouble on the double! Move out "

" RIGHT! "

James 2 listened to all this from his sick bed. He was horrified. 

__

I can't let Ash 2 be attacked by Brock 2! He's a psychopath! But I can't leave Jessie 2 here… Crap! I can't help both of them. 

OK, Ash 2 is gonna have help from Ash and Brock when fighting Brock 2, so he should be OK. Jessie 2, however, should be all right hanging around with the other TR. Still…

****

He decided. He had to help his friends. There was nothing he could do for Jessie 2 anymore anyway…

He leapt out of the bed, landed in a heroic pose and collapsed instantly.

__

On second thoughts, maybe I should wait till the poison goes away…

****

The fortress was dark. Somehow, it gave the feeling that something was watching them from the shadows. The heroes looked around nervously.

" This was too easy… " mused Brock. " Team Rocket is planning to conquer two alternative realities. They wouldn't make their base so easy to break into. "

" Maybe they're slack, " suggested Ash.

" No. They can't afford to let us in. Unless this is all a- "

BLAM! 

" …trap. "

Ash and his double lay lifeless on the floor, their eyes widened in horror. 

" Ash! Ash 2! C'mon, get up! This isn't funny, guys… "

Both Pikachu lay on the ground crying, nudging at their trainers as if this could bring them back.

" Guys? " Brock whispered.

" They're not dead. "

" Huh?! Who's there?! "

Brock 2 stepped out of the shadows, smirking. He twirled a gun in his hand. "I woulda offed them but Giovanni wants them alive. "

" Piiii… " snarled Pikachu, cheeks sparking, eyes showing fury.

" Hey, rat-boy… "

" Chu? "

" Check out my web site! " grinned Meowth 2, firing a net at them. 

The Pikachu's were caught instantly.

" ' Check out my web site '? " grimaced Meowth. " That is so old… "

" Hey, I live on these one-liners! "

" Whatever! Just run for it! "

" No! " cried Brock. " Come back with Pikachu! "

" They ain't you're concern, freak, " said Brock 2, " after all, if you went, who'd protect their tranquillised trainers? "

" Why are you doing this? " growled Brock, bewildered. " Why did you join Team Rocket? " 

Brock 2 grinned. " Ah, a flashback! Well, basically I did it 'cause I was fed up looking after my bratty siblings while dear ol' dad spends all his time catching Pokemon. "

Brock frowned. " So? I went through the same thing and I'm not a Rocket. "

" Yeah well, you took the boring way out. I decided to choose a job that fitted me. Dad complained but not for very long. He had a graveyard appointment. "

" You killed him?! "

Brock laughed. " Man, you're slow! I just can't believe that on your world, I become such a twerp. It's so sad. "

" Yeah? Well you can forget your crime career. I'm not letting you and your friends conquer either dimension. I rather die than let you take one step into my world. "

" Aww, what's da matter? " mocked Brock 2. " Scared for your ickle friends?"

" I saw what you did to your world's Misty. I won't let you attack mine. "

Brock 2 grinned. " Oh yeah, Misty Waterflower! The kid with the Starmie. It was great fun robbing her. And I managed to get some more fun outta her too…"

Brock frowned. " What does that mean? What are you- Oh God. " His eyes widened in disgust. " You didn't- "

" Maybe I did. Maybe I didn't. " He grinned madly. " What'cha gonna do about it? "

" What I'm gonna do… " Brock snarled, " is KILL YOU! "

He charged forward, punching Brock 2 in the face! Brock 2 countered with a kick to the groin! Then he pulled out a Pokeball. 

" Geodude! Finish off this freak! "

" DUDE! " 

Brock bared his teeth. " So, don't wanna fight me man-to-wanker? OK. I chose you, GEODUDE! "

The 2 Geodude faced each-other, fists clenched. They stared into each-other's eyes, daring the enemy to move. Brock broke the silence.

" GEODUDE, TACKLE! "

Geodude charged! Brock 2 just grinned.

" HARDEN! "

The evil Geodude became as hard as rock. OK, harder than a rock. His opponent just banged its head. 

" Geeo, " he moaned, getting a Psyduck-style headache. 

" C'mon Geodude! You can beat this Rocket! Use your SEISMIC TOSS! "

" Geodude! Fight it with your Seismic Toss! "

The combined Seismic Tosses knocked both fighters out. 

" Whoa! What are the chances of that happening? " gasped Brock incredulously.

" Grrrr… GO AERODACTYL! "

Brock paled. _This guy has an Aerodactyl?! Oh, crap…_

****

" ZUBAT, GO! " he countered.

Brock 2 grinned. " Hey, using a flying Pokemon! Smart move. There's just one little problem…

" Yeah? What's that? " Brock frowned. 

" Aerodactyl is strong against Flying types! Now, Aerodactyl, use your Whirlwind Attack! "

" Aero! " it croaked angrily, unleashing a powerful gale that sent Zubat crashing into the wall! 

" Oh yeah? ZUBAT, CONFUSE RAY! "

" Zuuuuu! "

Nothing happened. Brock 2 snorted contemptuously. " That didn't do anything! Ha! And now, I'll finish you off with HYPER BEAM! "

Aerodactyl grinned, its mouth crackling with energy. It unleashed its power… and blasted itself in the face!

" Ha! In your face, and in more ways then one! " laughed Brock. " You shoulda known that Confusion attacks are usually invisible. And everyone knows they make your Pokemon hurt themselves. "

" Damn! " snarled Brock 2. " That does it! Time for you to meet my secret weapon… SLAUGHTER GO! "

He threw an UltraBall, grinning insanely. It exploded, releasing a terrifying Pokemon!

Its skin was blood red with shadow black markings. Its head was like that of a Scyther, but with made, snake-like eyes. Its claws were like that of a scorpion, its insectile wings sharp as blades, its feet ending in a spiked claw. It screeched its name in bloodlust.

" HASSAMU! "

Brock gasped in fear? " What is it?! "

" This? Oh, this is Slaughter, my Hassamu. " Brock 2 said casually. " It's the evolved form of Scyther. Very rare and very lethal. " 

Brock did some quick calculations. This Hassamu was a Bug element, so it would be weak against Fire elements. However, this thing looked a lot stronger than his Vulpix. He have to use a Confuse ray to upset the Hassamu, then use Fire Spin. Working out his strategy, Brock called out Vulpix.

" Vul! " it cried cheerfully. 

Brock 2 smiled. " Slaughter, ASSASSINATE! "

" HASSA! " 

It flew straight at Brock! It started to Slash at Brock, ripping his flesh, making his blood flow out, causing unbearable pain… 

" ARGGHH! "

" Vulpix! " Vulpix screamed, trying to stop Slaughter and failing miserably. 

Brock had given up. He just stared at Vulpix, blasting at the Hassamu, tears streaming down her cheeks. He looked at Brock 2, just standing there laughing, and felt vaguely angry. 

Suddenly, the light! It shined so brightly, like lightning. So this was what dying was like…

Except was this dying? He saw on the ground the fried bodies of Slaughter and Brock 2, a Pikachu standing over them proudly. Ash looked at him with concern. 

" Good thing we came around when we did, " said Ash 2. " A few more seconds and he'd be dead. "

" I have some Super potion in my bag, but I'm not sure if…"

" Don't talk like that! We're gonna save your friend and get the sicko Brock 2 put in jail! I swear it! "

They used every drop of Super Potion on Brock, watching as it healed his wounds. Brock groaned in pain: Potions healed wounds but couldn't stop the pain. 

" Man, I'm so glad to be alive… " he wept. " I really thought I was gonna die… "

" Vul… " said Vulpix sympathetically.

" Lithe! " barked James' Growlithe urgently. 

" Oh no, I nearly forgot about James 2! " said Ash 2. " You guys stay here, I'll go get him. "

" No. " Brock snapped. " I've got my own personal score to settle with Team Rocket. "

" DAMN IT! " screamed Giovanni. " You stupid furballs! You were supposed to capture the Pikachu's! "

Meowth and Meowth 2 stood before him, smoking from electric burns. 

" They sorta chewed holes in da nets and den shocked us. " 

" Blast it! The twerps will be here in 2 minutes and we don't have a strong enough defence! "

" Permission to run away screaming like a baby, sir, " said James.

" Permission refused. We have only one option left: Plan B. "

" What's Plan B? " asked Jessie 2.

Giovanni grinned. " I'll show you. " 

He pulled out 5 Pokeballs. Each one was marked with a ' ! ' symbol. 

" Inside these are 5 Level 100 Pokemon; Porygon, Rhyhorn, Gyarados, Muk and Magmar. They are trained to exterminate everything they see. "

" Except for us, right? " grinned Jessie.

Giovanni frowned. " What? No! They attack _everything _they see apart from me. Perfect for exterminating troublemakers. Bye now. "

He walked off, carrying his Persian. Behind him the Pokeballs opened, releasing demons in mortal flesh. 

" W-w-what do we do know? " whined James.

" Running would be a good idea, " remarked Meowth 2.

" MAGMAR! "

Flames blasted everywhere, destroying everything in the room.

" No! I'm too gorgeous to die! " screamed Jessie frantically.

The whole team ran out, screaming hysterically. The Muk plodded after them, cursing its flab.

" What happens if they're faster than us? " Jessie 2 asked Meowth.

" I kinda think we die! " 

The fortress was rocked after blast after blast tore through the walls. The heroes/twerps looked uneasily around. 

" Sounds like the Rockets are having a party, " remarked Ash timidly. 

" Whatever it is, it can't be good. " 

" AAAAAAIIII! " screamed the Rockets, crashing into the twerps. " We're all gonna die! "

" I rest my case. "

" We have to run! " screamed James. " Giovanni let loose psychotic Pokemon! They'll kill us all! "

" Whoa! " cried Brock. " Giovanni! He's your boss? "

" Uh-huh. "

" Oh my God. The world's richest Gym Leader is the head of Team Rocket! I never saw that coming! "

" Yeah, well I see a Rhyhorn coming! " screamed Meowth! " Move it! "

The Rhyhorn charged at them, missed and tore through the back wall. The fortress fell apart, leaving the humans exposed to the psycho Pokemon. 

" Pikachu will take 'em! " cried Ash. " Right Pikachu? "

Pikachu handed Ash a piece of paper. " Chu. "

" Huh? A resignation notice?! "

" Mumumumuk! " cried Muk, unleashing a Sludge attack. It hit Pikachu 2 directly in the chest!

" Pi! "

It was a one-hit knockout. And the other Pokemon were preparing to attack…

" RUN AWAY! "

James 2 kicked his way out of the rubble. One minute, walls and ceilings. The next, a cave-in. 

" Growlithe! "

" Huh? Hey Growlie! You find me! "

" Lithe! " Growlie licked him happily. 

" Hey Growlie, is that a Magmar over there basting everything that moves? "

" Growl. "

" So why are we standing near it? "

" Lithe? Growlithe growl! "

" Yeah, lets run! "

It was mayhem. The Pokemon were attacking everything, including each other. Jessie 2 ran, trying to reach the exit for this pocket dimension. 

Something hit her from behind!

" Whoa! "

She turned round, to see Porygon! 

It had once been a weak friendly Pokemon. Then Giovanni had captured and trained it. It was now a bionic killing machine. 

" Porygon! "

" Oh, God, please don't kill me, please don't kill me, please don't kill me… " she wept in fear.

Porygon grinned maliciously. It snapped its head back and unleashed a Tri Attack!

James 2 stared in shock. That monster was gonna kill her! 

He didn't think. He just did. 

" NOOOOOOO! " 

Jessie 2 opened her eyes. She blinked, gasping in shock. She was alive! But how? No one could have survived that Tri Attack. The Porygon had gone, it would only have done that if it had killed its target. 

It was then that she noticed the blood. And the blue hair…

" Oh God NO! "

James 2 lay in front of her, chest busted open by the Tri Attack. He had sacrificed himself for her. She looked down at him. Growlie was nudging him, trying to get James 2 to wake up. Jessie 2 stroked the puppy, tears streaming down her cheeks. She took James' Pokeballs: they would need a new owner. 

She looked down at his face. It was that of a lion's. His eyes glowed with defiance, defiance against evil, defiance against death and defiance against Team Rocket. She knew what she had to do.

" I will do what you wanted, " she whispered. " I will quit Team Rocket. I will try and become the innocent you loved. "

She stood up. She saw Giovanni watching as his Pokemon attacked her allies. And she was overwhelmed with hate. 

" Growlie, TAKE DOWN! "

" GROWLLLLLLITHE! "

He charged into battle to avenge his master. The Gyarados tried to attack and was burnt into unconsciousness. Growlie kept running, watching as Giovanni became afraid and tried to run…

Giovanni was slammed to the ground. The PUC fell out of his pocket and broke into pieces. 

" Noooo! " he whined. " Without the PUC this dimension will cease to exist! We'll all be sent back to our worlds! "

And then the world turned dark. 

Ash awoke in Pallet, back at the portal. Brock was with him, as was Pikachu. Jessie and James were absent. Officer Jenny was handcuffing Giovanni. 

" But I'm innocent! " he protested. " I have no connections with Team Rocket!"

" Oh really? So why do you have a TR membership card, blueprints for Rocket weapons AND an autobiography called " Boss of Team Rocket " ALL IN YOUR WALET? "

" Ummmm… they were planted there? " 

The heroes stared at this spectacle. " If he gets arrested, then Team Rocket is finished! " cried Brock ecstatically. " It's all over. "

" Yeah, " agreed Ash, " it's over. Now all I have to do is figure out what to do about Misty… "

Ash 2 lay on the streets of Pallet. He had pikachu with him, but where was James 2? Could he be-?

He choked. One of his best friends was gone forever. Now his Pokemon Journey meant nothing. Not if his friend wasn't there with him. 

Yet he knew he had to keep on going. His friend wouldn't have wanted him to give up on his dreams, and so he wouldn't! 

__

I'm gonna win in your name, buddy. I'll be what you said I could always be… 

****

It had been 3 months since the dimensions incident. Jessie 2 stared at the sky, remembering. 

Around her ran young Pokemon, happy and carefree. Meowth 2 lay sleeping next to Meowzy, whom he'd finally found. James' Pokemon were still sad, but getting used to the fact that he wasn't there.

She had put her skills to good use and had founded a centre for abandoned Pokemon. It was named " the James Kojiro Pokemon Centre ". It had been named so that her world would forever remember the brave man who had shown her the way to redemption. 


End file.
